Prisoner
by ggirl924
Summary: *Sequel to Freedom* Vivian and Tobias have faced many things together, but facing each other after learning the truth is the hardest thing they may ever have to do. Can they stop a war and except their new roles in each other's lives without things resulting in death?
1. Chapter 1

**For those of you who haven't read my first story Freedom, I highly suggest you do that or else this one won't really make sense. Anyway here is the first chapter and I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter One:

Tobias

I look everywhere for Vivian, but she is nowhere to be found. Dawson is sent to help me, which I need because I don't know this place as well as he does. I try to figure out where she could be based off of what I know of her, which isn't a lot. All I know is that Vivian wouldn't stay in place; she would run until there was nowhere left to run to. I don't understand why she ran. I was hit with the same news she was and I stayed still.

"Vivian!" I yell. No answer. "Where do you think she can be?" I ask Dawson.

Dawson shrugs. "Honestly, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. She could be anywhere. She won't get very far, though. All the guards are on alert to find her."

"That helps," I say,

"You shouldn't get too mad with her for running. She was just told that her whole life was a lie." Dawson tells me.

"I was just told the same thing."

"Yeah, but it's sort of different. You just learned that you and your family aren't who you thought you were. Vivian was just told that she isn't even related to the man she called her father. You just thought you were a different person, but you still had your family, no matter how messed up they are. Vivian is completely on her own and is scared."

"She has me." I tell him.

"That may be true, but she might not see it right away." Dawson rubs his forehead. "Just give her some time to adjust to all of this. She hasn't lived the same kind of life as you. She is still learning what it is like to live."

We continue looking, but now we keep a silence between us. I know it's unfair to be mad at Vivian, but I just feel like running from all of this was an act of cowardice and I was trained to be brave. It is my nature to frown upon those who show how scared they are. Vivian was one of the bravest women I knew, so watching her show fear angered me instead of making me feel sorry for her.

* * *

About an hour into my search, once Dawson and I split up to look, I find Vivian sitting on a windowsill high up near a staircase. I can already tell that it was one hell of a climb. I take the stairs two at a time until I'm next to her. Vivian has taken out the braid that she wore earlier today and lets her dark brown hair shield her like a curtain. I can just barely see her face, which I hadn't really noticed how similar to mine it was until now. She wears a vacant expression on her face which I have learned meant that she was so far lost into her head that nothing could bring her back.

But I wasn't going to wait for her. "Vivian," I call out sternly.

At first I don't think she had heard me, but then she turns her head and looks at me for a long moment. "If I saw this coming, then why was I so damn unprepared?" she asks me.

"What does it matter? It's in the past, move on from it." I snap at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asks me, her blue eyes shattered and lost.

"What do you mean? What the hell is wrong with you Vivian? You're scared of finding out who you really are. I mean, who does that?" my voice is getting louder.

Vivian swings her feet around so they're dangling off the edge of the windowsill. "I am not scared." She tells me, her voice strong and sure. "I just found out that the man who I called 'father' is indeed not my father. Instead it is a man who beats and abuses his own family and not to mention is a tyrant and a manipulator. I just found out I have a mom, which is something I have never known. And I also just found out that I have a brother, for crying out loud. I'm sorry that I couldn't take the news like you did. All you learned was that you've been living under a false identity and you now have a twin sister. I'm sorry that it wasn't as big and drastic as yours."

"That doesn't mean you run from it, Vivian. You have to learn to face these things." I tell her sternly.

"Some brother you are. You don't even care that I couldn't breathe and that the world was closing in around me. I was having a panic attack, but don't let that bore you. I ran so I could calm myself and catch my breath. I was going to come back once I knew I was fine again, but why should that matter. You just think I'm weak and a coward. You don't care." Vivian tells me.

Her words take me apart piece by piece. I remember hearing her gasp for breath and how it sounded like she could die. She's right, I didn't care. But I will not admit that. We glare at each other for a long moment before Vivian climbs down off of her ledge and lands on the floor just as Dawson finds us.

"Vivian, there you are! We were looking all over for you." Dawson tells her.

"Well, you found me." She says forcing her voice to sound decent. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go face my past and accept who I am because if I don't, then I'm a coward." Vivian picks up the hem of her sapphire colored gown, revealing her bare feet, and walks off down a random hallway. Dawson doesn't even try to correct her on where she's going. She probably wouldn't even care anyway.

Dawson looks up at me. I can see the look of disapproval on his face. "What part of 'she's confused and scared' do you not understand?"

"I'm sorry," I say.

"Don't tell me that, tell her that. She's the one who needs to hear your sincere apology."

"I guess I'm just angry about all of this," I say sitting down on one of the marble steps. Dawson comes and sits beside me.

"You have every right to be mad; just don't take it out on your sister. She needs you to be there for her more than anything right now."

"I know." I say sadly. "I just need some time to take this in myself."

"I guess the best thing to do is to stay away from each other for tonight so the both of you can cool off. Try talking to her in the morning." Dawson advises me.

"Thanks Dawson," I tell him.

"I'm hungry; do you want anything to eat?"

So I get up and follow Dawson into the kitchens where I decide to make amends with Vivian. I ask a cook to help me with something and they gladly accept my request. It is the first time in my life where I've cooked something even more complicated than scrambled eggs.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Vivian

Though it is now required of us to attend a family dinner, I wasn't feeling up to it. Sapphire was understanding and told me I didn't have to go tonight, but I was to be there tomorrow night. So I spent my night off lying on my bed curled up into the fetal position because I felt cold and was too distracted to crawl underneath the covers for warmth. I felt this way more comforting too. During winter when I was in the fringe I would keep myself warm by making myself small. It had comforted me then against the cold, it will do it now.

It probably didn't help that my dress was silk and silk wasn't the best insulator. But I couldn't bring myself to get up and change. So I stayed there in my beautiful dress and stared at the window, looking beyond to the stars which had just risen from their slumber. I tried to find the constellations I had learned from an astrology book from my old room at the Compound when I was still the government's prisoner. Now here I was, miles away from all of that, and a princess.

I had been an avid reader growing up and one thing I had learned from books about princesses was that they always needed to be rescued. I had learned to save myself, so being an automatic damsel was the last thing I wanted. But I couldn't change my DNA. I couldn't change who I really was. All I could do is accept my past and move on with my life.

My thoughts wander to Abraham, my father, and how he is. Larkin had told me he was sick, but I wonder if he's even slightly better. Did he know who I really was? Did he know I wasn't his daughter? He always told me that I looked like my mother, but was that a lie or a result of memory serum? All these questions and I won't be able to get the answers for them here. I'd have to find my fat- Abraham and that task seems nearly impossible. I'm left feeling empty with all of these unanswered questions.

Even if Abraham knew I wasn't his daughter, he sure raised me like I was. He told me of his father and how he didn't even acknowledge his existence unless it was to teach him. But Abraham was different. Not only was he my teacher, but he was a friend. He would read me to sleep every night and he would sit me down and try to brush my tangled hair and braid it for me. Even when I got older he did the small things for me, and I never asked him to stop.

Tobias had said that his parents are alive and I know now that his parents are my parents. Sapphire is making plans to send a scout party out to find Marcus and bring him back, but I am not too eager to meet my birth father, especially after all the stories Tobias had told me about him. Marcus is the man behind some of his fears and I don't need him to be part of mine. I am currently not scared of anything and I want to keep it that way.

I am so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the door open and I didn't hear the footsteps until someone was sitting down at the edge of my bed. I don't make any movements to show that I am paying attention, but I'm curious to see who's there. Probably Dawson.

Or Tobias.

I don't want to see my brother right now. He's probably here to give me some huge lecture again on how running away was a sure sign I was scared and I really don't need that right now. I need someone who will comfort me like Dawson. Or better yet, I want Larkin to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be okay. I don't want Tobias.

"Vivian," he says softly. I don't answer. "I'm sorry for the way I yelled at you. I was wrong to. You needed space to breathe and I considered it an act of cowardice. You did just find out that your family is indeed not your family and that it is my messed up one instead. That's a lot to take in and I apologize for not giving you the space you needed to take it all in."

I don't say anything.

Tobias sighs. "I understand being angry or even scared. I am too. I guess it shows how different we are. You were being raised in a place of no escape and me being raised in a place where I could only be one thing."

"If you haven't noticed, Tobias, but we were in the same situations most of our lives," I pipe up. "You and I were only allowed to be one thing. We could never show our emotions; we had to act like hallow robots. We both had to be selfless and we both had to be brave. We both had to make choices that define who we are. We grew up in different scenarios, but we've made the same choices."

"I never really thought about that before."

"And now I've sparked the possibility that we really are one and the same. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to wallow in self-pity and wonder why life wants to continue making me the star of all their cosmic jokes." I roll over a little too dramatically, but who cares right now?

"Are you seriously going to be like this?" Tobias asks.

"Are you seriously going to be like that?" I reply.

"I lay down my armor if you lay down yours. I don't want to fight with you, Vivian. We both need each other, now more than ever."

"You're right, we do need each other." I roll back over and sit up so I'm looking at him. "But I don't want to be criticized by you for every little choice I make. I don't want to be a coward, I want to be brave. I want to be able to look every fear I have in the eye and be strong enough to continue. But I can't have you calling out everything I do, Tobias. I can't live like that."

"I know," Tobias says softly, "I guess old habits don't die out that easily. It was my job to make sure that those who joined Dauntless were brave. I keep forgetting you weren't Dauntless either."

"Maybe one day you'll remember that and start treating me like I'm not an initiate." I tell him.

"That day will come, I promise. But until then, you're going to have to keep reminding me of that because I am just going with my nature like you are going with yours when you see someone who is injured."

"Going against your nature is pretty hard huh? That's why I struggle mentally when I have to hold a gun up to someone. I was trained to heal, not kill. You were trained to be brave and not be a coward."

"I brought you a peace offering." Tobias tells me.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he stands up and walks over to his dresser where a plate is sitting on top. He brings it over to me and sits down beside me, the plate balanced on our knees. Sitting on the plate were freshly made cookies.

"Cookies?"

"Made them myself," Tobias smiles, proud of his achievement.

"Well, they'll probably taste like sawdust." I joke taking a cookie off the plate. I take a bite and learn that they, in fact, do not taste like sawdust. I taste the chocolate chips that had melted into the cookie dough and mentally decide that my twin brother is very good at making cookies.

Tobias and I sit there on my bed for a long time after that, talking about the hell we would raise tomorrow because we were now royals and we could do whatever we wanted too. As it got later, Tobias and I both gradually grew tired. I remember his head falling onto my shoulder as he fell asleep. I was awake for a few moments more, thinking about the adventures tomorrow would bring before I nodded off and joined him wherever you went when you fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Tobias

I wake up before Vivian does. She's sleeping with her head on my shoulder, but the rest of her is turned away from me. I don't remember falling asleep and I don't remember her falling asleep, but whatever happened had happened, there was no avoiding it. I try to untangle myself from her and when I'm sure she's still sleeping, I get up to go take a shower.

I stand under the hot water for longer than necessary before I climb out. I dry off and put on the cloths I had found from my dresser: dark colored jeans and a sapphire colored polo. I slide my feet into my old shoes and walk out, drying the rest of my hair with a towel. Vivian sits on her bed and stares at the window like she always does. I notice that she has gotten dressed as well and wears the exact same thing as me. Obviously there weren't many options for cloths for us.

I sit down on the windowsill across from Vivian. Her eyes move from the outside world to me and smirks, "I would've never guessed we were twins. We don't look anything alike."

I laugh, "No, we don't look anything alike."

Vivian's smile fades. "Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?"

"We already met Indigo,"

"I hate that guy." Vivian mutters and I laugh.

"How bad can everyone else be?"

"I don't know, it could end up being a colored war." She jokes.

"Speaking of colors, what's ours?"

"Ruby and Jade." Vivian tells me. "This means we're going to have to start responding to those names."

"Ruby and Jade,"

"You've got a girl's name." Vivian smiles gleefully.

"Jade is not a girl's name." I protest.

"I met a girl named Jade once. She had tried to blow up the capital but almost killed herself in the process."

"Yeah, but if I was that Jade I would've done it better and without mistakes." I correct her.

"You could try, but I doubt you'd be that successful."

I smack Vivian with my towel. "Some sister you are."

"It's my job to make you feel like shit." She smiles.

"Thanks,"

"You need to shave. You're getting a beard and it is not attractive."

"Again, thanks Vivian."

"Evelyn isn't here to mother you so I'm your next best bet."

I notice Vivian doesn't call Evelyn "her mother". I don't know how to ask her but I ask, "Do you think you could ever consider her your mother?"

"The thing about your par- _our _parents is that I was raised without a mother and I had a different father my whole life. I might be able to let Evelyn in, but I will never let Marcus close to my heart."

"Fair enough, I'm not on speaking terms with Marcus. I don't even know where he is. Evelyn and I though, we're trying to rebuild our relationship. I just want to know if I can keep her in my life and still have you as my sister."

"I'll still be there, but I personally feel like it's too late for me to have a mother. And I know it's not her fault, but I'm twenty and a grown up. There's nothing we can really do."

"But you'll try?"

"If you're trying, I'll try."

I pull Vivian onto her feet and hug her tightly. "Thank you."

"That's why I am your favorite sister." She tells me, her voice muffled by my shirt.

"You're my only sister." I correct her.

"Good, because I do not want to be replaced by a sister who's cooler than I am."

* * *

Vivian and I walk down to breakfast together. I don't know what to expect out of all of this, but I'm happy to have her with me. She seems more confident than I am so I try to match her confidence. I have no reason to be nervous, but why do I feel like the room is beginning to close in on me. Vivian must notice I'm starting to freak out because she takes my hand and holds it tightly.

"Thanks," I mutter.

"We have to get through this together." Vivian answers pushing the door open. We walk in together and are immediately greeted by a long table. Indigo, a girl in violet, a girl in yellow, and Dawson are already sitting down eating their breakfast. Vivian takes the seat beside Dawson and I sit beside her.

"Good morning you two," Dawson tells us.

"It will be once this awkwardness between all of us is over." Vivian mutters.

"Let me introduce you to the family." Dawson offers, "You already know Indigo. You can probably figure out who is who, but those two over there are Violet and Amarillo. Not present are Indigo's little sister Scarlett and my kid sister Charlotte."

"You have a sister?" I ask him.

"Yes, but we aren't close. She's a little…"

"A little what?" asks a high pitched voice from behind us.

The three of us turn around and are confronted by a tall girl in a skin tight jade colored dress. Her gold hair matched her brothers and fell in perfect ringlets down to her waist. Her eyes are bright blue and ringed with black make up. Her lips are redder than roses. She's pretty enough, but not someone I'd be interested in.

"Demanding," Dawson continues.

"I am not demanding." Charlotte protests.

"You're demanding."

"That's what you think."

"Oh shut up." Charlotte gracefully walks over to my other side and sits down beside me. "You must be Jade." She smiles, "I'm Charlotte."

I feel a tight grip on my left arm and suddenly notice how tense Vivian is.

Charlotte leans in closer to me, her dress lowering a little in the front. "Tell me about yourself, Jade."

"Oh sorry, he can't. He lost his voice just now and can't to any girl who isn't me or his girlfriend." Vivian says with a sly smile.

"You must be Ruby."

"And you're Charlotte."

"Well, Ruby, if you don't mind, I would like to have a friendly conversation with your brother."

"I don't mind, but I think his girlfriend who can kill a man with her bare hands will."

Charlotte ignores Vivian. "Tell me Jade, what was it like coming from a life with the factions."

"Umm," I say.

"Did I tell you about Jade's girlfriend? She's quite the fighter and has killed people before; especially girls who try to flirt with her boyfriend."

"What faction were you in?" Charlotte asks me.

"Dauntless,"

"I could even kill a man. I have the skill for it." Vivian says to Charlotte.

"Interesting," Charlotte leans forward even more. "What faction was that again?"

"The brave," I answer,

Charlotte gently touches my arm. Vivian grips my writs tightly.

"What was that like?"

"Oh my God, Charlotte!" Dawson yells at her, "He's not going to have sex with you so leave the poor boy alone." Charlotte lets go of my arm and gets up from her seat and takes the one on the other side of the table. "God, you can't just try to hook up with every attractive boy you lay eyes on."

Vivian starts laughing, loosening her grip on my arm. It hits me that Vivian knew Charlotte's intentions before any of us did. She was just being a protective sister. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and squeeze it gently, a way to say "thank you".

"How did you know about her?" I whisper.

"I can spot these kinds of girls from a mile away. Larkin brought me one to heal once. She tried to have sex with him while I was still in the room. I ended up drugging her so she was knocked out. I don't think Tris would like it if another girl tried to have sex with you and personally I wouldn't like that much either."

"Thanks for looking out for me." I whisper.

"You would've done the same for me."

I hear movement on the other side of me and instantly think Charlotte has come back to flirt with me but instead I see a pretty girl about fourteen sit down beside me. Her mousey brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, revealing her dark blue eyes. Her polo was a pretty scarlet color and she wore black workout pants and lace up shoes.

Dawson looks past us and smiles, "Hello Scarlett, did you sleep well?"

"Hello Dawson and yes I did. How about yourself?"

"I slept very well. Have you met your cousin's yet?" Dawson asks taking a drink of his milk.

"No I haven't," Scarlett looks at us and smiles. "Hello Tobias and Vivian; how are you?"

"Wait, their names are Tobias and Vivian? I thought they were Jade and Ruby." Charlotte says.

Scarlett looks at Charlotte and says, "Dear Charlotte, they didn't know their birth names growing up. They thought that their names were Vivian and Tobias. It's only polite to talk to them in a way they are comfortable with. Surely you would've learned that by now." Scarlet looks back at Dawson and asks, "Has this one tried to hook up with Tobias yet?"

"Not even two minutes ago." Dawson answers.

Scarlett looks back to Charlotte, "Haven't we discussed this with you? It is not right for a lady to come onto every man she lays eyes on. You must wait for the perfect man."

"Easy for you to say, you're fourteen."

"I believe that my cousin Vivian was not allowed around boys her whole life. Maybe we should create the same laws for you. It might teach you something or another about love."

Beside me Dawson and Vivian are laughing. I think I might like Scarlett. She looks at me and smiles. "Will you be attending training with us? I heard you were once an instructor. Maybe you could help me with my aim."

"I would be honored, Miss Scarlett." I tell her.

"Excellent," she takes a drink of her water, "A fine way to get to know one of the newest members of our family." She leans across me to look at Vivian. "Will you join us too Vivian?"

"I would love to." Vivian says to her.

"Splendid," Scarlett says. "This will be fun."


	4. Chapter 4

**For those of you who were wondering (I know Dauntless selected was) I do have a few chapters planed out for Tris, but they are yet to come and it will take a while to get into them. I also have plans to use more of the originals in this story too, so it won't be just Tobias. Anyway, I enjoy reading your fantastic reviews and hope to hear more from you guys!**

Chapter Four:

Vivian

I didn't go to training that morning. Instead I had to go speak with my grandmother. I follow Dawson's directions and end up in a magnificent sapphire hallway. At the end are a set of beautifully handcrafted wooden doors. On my way to them, I pass another set of doors which are slightly ajar. I peak in and see a room of ruby red. My temptation wins over and I walk in. I am greeted by a room bigger than the medical floor I grew up in. Everything is the color of rubies. The bed could hold five of the cots I slept on, and the comforter is made of silk. The windows are as tall as the whole room itself, with a breathtaking view of the nearby mountains.

"Ruby?" a voice behind me asks.

I turn around and see Sapphire standing in the doorway, holding a cane in front of her. I notice that she's very dressed up for what I was told is a normal day. She wore a very beautiful gown, similar to the one I wore yesterday, just more elaborate. She wore her crown on top of her perfectly styled silver hair.

"Sapphire," I answer, a little embarrassed that I was caught in a room I wasn't supposed to be in.

Sapphire walks in, touching the red walls. "This was my brother's room. He inherited it after I became queen. I haven't repainted it after his death. Every time I went to repaint it for one of my sons, they were killed. I was planning to have it done for Indigo, but now that you're here I was hoping to give it to you."

"You mean I could live here?"

"Yes, if you want to."

I touch the bed, running my fingers over the red silk. I never had a room as extravagant as this one before. But there's something about staying in this one alone that makes me a little nervous. "Thank you, but I'm not quite ready to be on my own. I'm still adjusting and being with my brother makes it a little easier on me."

"How about this, when you feel ready, this room will be open for you." Sapphire offers.

I nod, "Thank you, I'd like that."

Sapphire offers me her arm and I take reluctantly. "Come child, there's much I want to discuss."

Sapphire didn't lead me out of the room. Instead she led me to a mirror on the wall and pushed it, revealing it to be a door. I followed her through the doorway and landed in a greenhouse, except all the plants were dead. We stood on an iron balcony, with a beautiful iron staircase to my left that twisted all the way to the ground floor.

"I believe you told me that you and Abraham grew your own plants for medicine. Our stocks are low because no one in this family knows how to garden. I was hoping that you would be able to."

I look over at the rows and rows of dead plants. I touch a leaf of a dead ivy plant and hold it between my fingers. It is my instinct to save every living thing, including plants. I realize then what Sapphire is doing. She's trying to make this feel like home for Tobias and I. I don't know how she's doing it yet for him, but I know for me.

"I think it's a wonderful idea." I say.

"Well, I will have some seeds sent up for you. You can begin tomorrow." Sapphire takes my hand, "Come Ruby, you have training to attend to."

* * *

"A fear landscape?" I ask as the needles and syringes are prepared.

"We've been using a fear landscape for longer than the Dauntless have been alive. One of our soldiers left us years ago to work for the Bureau and ended up creating the fear landscape for the Dauntless." Scarlett explains.

"I'm not so sure I want to see what my fears are." I say.

"It'll help you to control them, which is what bravery really is. If it helps, you can go last to see how it's done."

I watch as my cousins go into the fear landscape and face whatever truly terrifies them. Charlotte reads off the number of fears they had when they came out. I learn that Dawson has the current lowest number of 7. I steal a side glance at Tobias. I wonder if he still has his four fears. Maybe his nickname will come back after this.

Tobias is the last to go in before me. I watch my brother face his fear one by one, though I myself can't see the fear he is facing. All I see is him. His eyes widen and narrow. His heart race builds and lowers. His breaths become quick then calm. He knows what he's doing and before I know it, he is done and exiting the little room where we take the test.

"That's impossible," Charlotte says as she reviews his tests. "Four fears."

"I guess we have to start calling you 'Four' again." I say as he approaches me.

"Are you ready?" he asks me.

I don't answer. Instead I walk as steady as I can to Scarlett, who injects the back of my neck and I walk into the room. I listen to Charlotte as she tells me my test has begun. I stand stiller than a statue and wait for the fears to approach me. Nothing. Nothing is happening. The room hasn't changed and nothing has attacked me.

I continue to stand there until my feet grow sore. What is wrong?

And then, all at once, it happens.

* * *

The figure approaches me cautiously. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust before I can see him closely. Larkin. I watch him grow closer to me. Why is Larkin here? I'm not scared of him. It isn't until he's standing right in front of me that I realize that it isn't Larkin but Spen.

Spen and I stare at each other for a long moment before he speaks. "Look at you Vivian, I almost didn't recognize you. You don't look so pure anymore."

"I guess that's what happens when you went to hell and back." I answer calmly. "Why are you here?"

"I'm only here because I'm conveying a message. You don't need to be in a fear landscape, Vivian. You said it yourself. When you left, all your fears stayed behind. You're so high right now, that your fears cannot get to you. But I'm warning you now; there will come a time when everything in your life is fear. When that time comes, try to remember yourself as you are now: fearless and brave."

And just like that Spen was gone and I was back into the room.

* * *

"Is it even possible to be fearless?" Violet asks as I sit down at the corner of the practice mat. I put my head in my hands and tone out the argument about the possibility of being fearless. I think about Spen's warning, and how one day soon fear will control my life.

Tobias comes over and sits beside me. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fearless, why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"I'm just making sure."

I stare at the bickering group and wonder how we are all family. All these people and I are similar, but not the same. I never thought I could have a family before, but now I'm watching them all argue.

"What were your fears?" I ask Tobias.

"Height, claustrophobia, my father hurting you, and losing Tris before I can get to her." Tobias says.

"You're scared of Marcus hurting me?"

"He's not the best father and I'm concerned he'll hurt you to make you obedient to him."

"If and when I meet Marcus, I'll be sure to tell him that he is not my father and I already have one."

"Vivian, he is your father."

"Just because he's the reason I'm alive doesn't mean that he's my father. A father is the man who raised you and loved you unconditionally. That wasn't Marcus. That was Abraham."

"How do you even know if Abraham loved you Vivian? How do you even know what love is from him. I'm sorry I'm questioning him, but I haven't had the greatest father in the world if you haven't noticed."

"Every day growing up my father would sit me down after I had showered and brush out my hair. If you haven't noticed, my hair isn't easy to brush. It would take him an hour sometimes, but he never said one word about it. He would just brush and brush until my hair was as smooth as silk. When he was done, he would braid it and tie it off with a bow. There was never a time when he wouldn't do that for me. Even once I had learned to braid my own hair, he would still do it for me. That's how I know he loved me."

"So? Marcus never complained about cutting my hair. Mind you he wasn't too careful with the razor, but he still did it."

"See that's the thing. Marcus wasn't careful. Abraham treated my hair like it was the most precious thing in the world. You may have had dad troubles growing up, but not me. Marcus's blood may run in my veins, but he will never be my father. When I meet him, he will only be known to me as the man who hurt you as a child, not my father."

Tobias stands up and glares down at me. "Don't you see I'm trying to protect you?"

"You're protecting me from a ghost, Tobias. I'm an adult; I can take care of myself. Marcus won't be able to come anywhere near me if I don't let him. I'm going to be okay so don't worry about me and Marcus. If you're going to worry about something, worry about the people you love back home who are in the middle of a cross fire, not me and a man who doesn't exist in my life yet."

Tobias storms to the other end of the room and begins to throw knives at a target. I sit there and worry for him a little. He may only have four fears, but fears can still consume you and I worry that they will do the same for my brother.

Sapphire comes over and stands beside me. "It seems that you and your brother are two sides of the same coin."

"It seems that you might be correct about that."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Tobias

Eat, train, eat, sleep; my life for the past month. I don't have to train, but it gives me something to focus on while everyone flounces around the palace trying not to get their royal hands dirty. Dawson trains with me most days, unless some security issue comes up. He keeps me posted on the search for Marcus, letting me know that my days are numbered before I have to see him again.

"We're thinking that he's as close to Chicago as possible. Based off of what you said, he wouldn't travel too far out into the unknown. It's tracking him and catching him without spooking anyone that we're struggling with." Dawson tells me as we throw gloved punches at each other.

"When you find him, let me know immediately so that way I can arm myself."

Dawson laughs. "I swear, I'll put five guards in every room that you two have to be in together. That way he won't throw any punches or try anything stupid."

"You might want to make it ten."

* * *

I find my sister in the green house tending to her plants. This past month Vivian has completely disposed of the rotting, dead plants and has replaced them with healthy new ones. She never leaves the green house except to go to her mandatory training sessions and to eat. Half the time she doesn't even sleep in our room and just camps out in the room attached to this place; she unofficially moved out.

"Hey Vi," I say approaching her.

Vivian has her mane of brown frizz tied back into a ponytail, leaving her face covered in dirt. Her ruby colored polo is almost black from all the dirt on her, as is most of her in general. She and I are the only ones in this family who really don't notice how dirty we get. And the thing is, we really don't mind.

Vivian looks up, "Hey Four,"

She has started calling me Four again, insisting that when I call her Vi it comes out to saying the Roman numeral for six: VI. I tried arguing with her that my nickname for Tris was six, but after a while I learned that if I call her Vi, she's going to call me Four.

"How are your plants?" I ask, failing to create a better conversation starter.

"My plants aren't dead." She answers. "How are your knives?" Sapphire had gotten me custom knives once she had learned that I am an excellent thrower. Vivian smirks whenever I bring them out to clean, which I only do when there's nothing better to do, which is all the time.

"Sharp and ready to stab someone." I answer, sitting on a stool beside her.

"What's the Marcus update?" Vivian asks, not taking her attention away from potting some sort of tree.

"Still missing," I answer.

"I'm guessing it won't be long before they find him." Vivian says. "What are you going to do when that day comes?"

"Probably try not to kill him and keep one of my knives on me at all times." I reply.

"I don't think you're knives are worth it. Maybe a butter knife from the kitchen would work perfectly." Vivian says sarcastically.

"What are you going to do?"

Vivian looks at me, "I told you. I'm going to be normal and treat him like any other man I know. I don't care if he is my father."

"I wish I could be like you." I blurt out before realizing what I just said.

"What do you mean?"

"You're just so carefree and fearless that you're ready to embrace anything. I want to live without worrying about what the bad guys are doing for once. I want to live, not be weighed down."

"You've got to let go of all that weighs you down. That's the only way you can be free." Vivian tells me, placing her hand over mine, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Is that how you're free?"

"I'm not free Tobias. I just try to act like I'm not chained to a wall though I feel like it." She brushes my hair from my face. I haven't even noticed that it was getting long until she did that. "But as for being fearless there's this I know: if you are far enough from your fears, then they can't get to you. Not at all."

"Thanks for the pep-talk Vivian."

"Isn't that why you always come to see me?"

I pull my sister into a hug. "Part of the time. The other part is to have you remind me that I'm not all bad."

"You're not bad, Tobias."

"See? It worked."

She laughs, pulling away from me. I stay with her until the clock strikes six. That is when I am told to go take a shower because I look like I've been rolling around in the dirt. I leave the room, looking back at Vivian once to see her sitting on the ground twirling a flower between her fingers.

* * *

"The US is targeting Chicago." Sapphire says at dinner. "The people of the fringe want them to fight, but the government would rather have them all destroyed so that is what they're going to do. They intend to do it tonight at midnight."

I've stopped eating and stare down at my food. Everyone I love will be killed if that happens. I can't lose anyone else. I can't. I look to the queen. "We have to stop them."

"The US is like a wrecking ball Tobias. You can't stop them once they're in motion." Vivian tells me.

"There's got to be a way." I look at Sapphire "Is there any possibility I could get my friends out?"

Vivian's fork falls to her plate, causing a ringing sound to flow through the dining hall. "What about the rest of Chicago, Tobias? What would happen to them?"

"Your sister has a point Tobias. What would happen to the rest of those innocent people?" Sapphire questions.

"Try to get as many out while I'm getting those I love." I say.

Sapphire rubs her head. "Fine." She says quietly. "Talk to Dawson and create a plan with him."

I smile, standing up from my seat. "Thank you grandmother." I walk out of the dining hall. It takes a long moment to realize that someone followed me. I turn and see Vivian standing yards away with her arms folded over her chest. The red dress she's wearing stands out against her pale skin.

"That's it," she says. "You're just going to save your friends and not even bother to help anyone else?"

"You would do the same thing."

"No, not like that at least." She sighs, "Tobias, there are hundreds of others who won't be making this escape to a palace where they will be protected. You're just saving ten at the most."

"Are you saying you want me to be alone in the world?" I snap.

"No, I'm saying pick a different plan. One that can save everyone else."

"There's not much I can do."

"You haven't even tried. The first plan you come up with isn't always the best plan."

"Vivian!"

"This is suicide Tobias. You probably will be killed."

"What's one life when you've saved others?"

"More valuable than the one given to defend ten people when hundreds could've been defended."

"So I take it that you're not coming?"

Vivian shakes her head. "No, not if this is your plan."

"I'll show you when I get back that you were wrong." I say, turning down the hallway, leaving her standing in the moonlight.

"Be brave…" I hear her voice whisper through the wind.

* * *

"I think your sister was right." Dawson tells me as we make our way through the crowded streets of the place I once called home. "This is suicide."

"Not if we don't die." I say back. We make our way to the Hancock building where most of my friends are staying. I take the front steps by two and lead Dawson into the lobby. All around the city right now an evacuation is taking place. I know that we don't have much time before the missiles are fried and that thought alone is enough to make me panic. We take the elevator up to the 20th floor first. I run down a hallway and knock on Christina's door. After a few long moments she answers.

"Four? What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain. Can you do me a favor?"

Christina nods and I tell her to meet me at the Dauntless compound after she's gotten Caleb, Cara, and my mother. And then I'm running again.

Zeeke doesn't even question me and brings Hana out into the hallway along with Shauna. Zeeke runs and brings Matthew from his fifth story apartment and meets us in the lobby. When everyone I love has rallied there, we head for the Dauntless compound where Christina will be meeting us with the rest of the group.

"So in a few moments we'll all be blown up." Zeeke sums up as I stare down at the pit. Dawson and I had just finished filling them in on what is happening.

"Basically," Dawson says,

Zeeke looks at me and flings his arm over my shoulder. "What happened after you left? You didn't even say goodbye."

"So much stuff has happened and I don't have time to tell. Ask me again when we get to safety."

Moments later Christina arrives with Evelyn, Cara, and Caleb. I hug my mother and Cara and nod to Caleb. "I don't have time to explain, but we need to get out of here."

Cara nods, "Then let's go."

* * *

"You're other left Stupid!" Zeeke calls to Dawson as we run down the old streets.

"So right!" Dawson calls back.

"Yes, the other left!"

We all turn right and run past the Erudite headquarters towards the lake where the hovercrafts are waiting for us. As we were finding my friends, the other members of the royal army have been loading people onto the hovercraft. Adrenaline pumps in my veins as we get closer. When the hovercrafts are in sight, Dawson starts calling out orders.

"Go to the one on the far left." Dawson tells me. "I'll meet you on there."

I nod and race to the last hovercraft on the left. It is the smallest one, but by far the nicest. I stand by the bay doors as they all hop in. Once everyone is accounted for I follow. There is a clock on the far wall. I sit and watch as the clock ticks closer to midnight. My mother takes my hand and holds it. For a moment I almost forget that it's her instead of Vivian. Five minutes to midnight Dawson hops onto the hovercraft and we take off.

None of us say anything until we're well into the air and on our way home.

My mother is the first to speak up. "What is going on Tobias? Why did you just leave all of a sudden?"

"It's a long story." I say, "But luckily we have time." I start from when Vivian walked into my office and I tell my friends everything after that. When I finish telling my story, Dawson walks into the cabin and announces that we're going to be landing shortly. Everything comes by in blurs once we get of the hovercraft and make our way into the palace. I found my new family sitting in the dining hall, waiting for our return.

The first thing I notice though are the gloomy expressions on everyone's face. Sapphire sits at the head of the table with a note in her hand. It takes me a moment to realize that Vivian isn't there. She's gone.

"Where's Vivian?" Dawson asks Sapphire. Sapphire passes him the note and Dawson stands there holding it for a moment before turning to me.

"What does it say Dawson?" I ask.

"'Poof.'" He reads.

"Vivian is missing." Sapphire says calmly. "We can't find her anywhere."


	6. Chapter 6

**For those of you who wanted and waited patiently (Dauntless selected, I got chew) here is a Tris chapter! I try my best to make her as much like the original, but that is very difficult. So I apologize for my crappy point of view. Anyway, here it is and thank you for all the fantastic reviews and I love hearing from all of you!**

Chapter Six:

Tris

The sirens are going off like crazy now. The Hawks were just about to go destroy Chicago when they got the message not to. Now, deep in their confusion, have realized that some mastermind is behind all of this. Everyone is ushered into their rooms and told to stay quiet. Larkin told me to stay with Abraham and stay down so now the two of us hide crouched down in the corner of the medical supplies cabinet.

"How bad do you think this all really is?" I ask.

"It only takes someone with a brilliant mind to change the Hawks' commands. Someone who obviously doesn't have any common sense." Abraham says.

"There are only so many of those people in this world."

"Just stay low and try not to be seen. They normally don't come down here."

Abraham doesn't say anything. He holds the picture from Vivian's file close to his heart, as if trying to protect the girl that isn't there anymore. Vivian's absence has shattered Abraham the most out of all of us. The only person who could even try to save him from the fate that life had given him was Vivian. Abraham was getting sicker and sicker every day. He couldn't heal anyone anymore let alone himself. He'd started teaching Larkin and I, but we all knew that it wouldn't matter soon. We would never be able to learn everything Vivian had.

"Where do you think Vivian is?" I ask him.

"Safe," Abraham says. "She's somewhere safe."

"I promise that you'll see her again. I won't let you go without saying goodbye." I tell him.

"That's the reason I haven't given up yet, Beatrice. I'm waiting to say goodbye to her. I want to make sure that she'll be okay when I'm gone."

"Vivian is strong," I say, "It will hurt her for the rest of her life, but she will be okay. I know it."

"It's hard to think that she doesn't need me anymore." Abraham cries, hugging the picture tighter.

"She'll always need you. I know it."

Nothing is able to stop the sounds of Abraham's sobs. I sat there wishing for a miracle. I wished that Vivian would show up and tell him that it was okay to let go. It broke my heart to see this happen to Abraham. He was one of the strongest men I had ever known and he was dying the slowest and most painful death anyone had ever known. I wrap my arms around him tightly and held him as he cried.

These past two years he had become something of a father to me, and I hated seeing him break and I hated seeing him hurt.

Right about then I heard the elevator doors open on our level and someone steps out. I look at Abraham. "They don't come down here?"

"I said normally. Obviously this isn't one of those times."

The both of us got quieter and backed up into the shelves behind us. The footsteps kept getting louder and louder until we saw the shadow through the glass window. The figure stopped and we both held our breaths as we watched the doorknob turn. I moved into a crouching position quickly, so I could jump the person if needed. With one last effort the door was swung open and Abraham and I were taken by surprise at the figure standing before us.

"I've got about five minutes before they come down here and I'd rather us not be here when they try to kill me." Vivian says.

"What are you doing here?" Abraham asks her in awe.

"Trying to save the world and I'm in the process of getting caught so if we could just run that would be lovely." Vivian pulls Abraham to his feet as I climb up onto mine.

"What's your escape plan?" I ask her.

Vivian looks at me, her dark eyes full of a fierceness that I never saw in her before. "I'm stealing a plane."

"Since when do you know how to fly a plane?" Abraham asks.

"My dear father, I've been out into the real world for almost three years. I know how to do many things and flying a plane has surprisingly become one of them. Now we don't have time for talking, it's really time to go."

Vivian turns and runs down a hallway and Abraham and I just stare at her. She's going the wrong way.

"Vivian," I call out.

She turns to me, "Yeah?"

"Freedom is that way." I point to the elevator.

"I know what I'm doing Beatrice." She calls out. I watch her enter her old room, which has remained the same since she left. Abraham and I follow her and watch her climb up her bookshelf into an air vent. She pops her head down a moment later. "Well, are you coming?"

"Air vents," I mutter as I begin to climb. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're not as clever as I am." She calls down.

Once the three of us are in the vent, Vivian begins crawling to the left. I don't know how she knows where she's going, but Vivian moves along with ease. When I ask her how she knows the air vents she calls back, "I've done many things in my twenty years. Most of them were done in these air vents. There's a lot about me you don't know."

"You're a medic, a pilot, a fighter, and a navigator of air vents. Are you also a queen and a pianist?" I ask sarcastically.

"Technically I'm a princess. The queen is my grandmother." Vivian says.

I laugh, "Funny,"

Abraham calls out in his raspy voice. "Beatrice, Vivian is being serious."

"Oh,"

"Plus, I learned how to play the piano years ago." Vivian calls back. "That's nothing new."

"Why are you really here?" I ask her.

"They were going to destroy Chicago and everyone in it. I got in a fight with my brother because he wanted to go and just save a handful of the people. I actually thought of everyone else and stopped the attack, giving them a chance to escape. I bought them an hour, maybe even two. Everyone is too distracted in finding me than going on with the mission." Vivian calls out, climbing up.

"That's smart," I say,

"That's stupid," Abraham says.

"There wasn't much time to create a decent plan. I just had to go with the less suicidal one." Vivian explains.

"Why didn't you get Larkin to help you break in?" I ask her.

"Simple, if I got his help, it would reveal that he's Pro-GDs and that's not the best option for him, at least not right now."

"Where is he?" Abraham asks Vivian, his voice getting raspier by the minute.

"Lying unconscious in the control room," Vivian answers. She turns to me and shrugs when she sees my look of disapproval. "I did what I had to okay? He'll be fine in a few hours."

You're vicious." I point out,

"'All is fair in love and war,'" Vivian quotes. "It's not like I wanted to hurt him."

We climb in silence until Vivian says that we've reached the entrance to the launch pad. She removed the grate for the air vent and gracefully climbs down. We watch her hold on to the edge of the vent before letting go. The drop was at least twenty feet, but Vivian rolled gracefully the second she touched the ground, landing on her feet. She looks up at us and smiles, "Who's next?"

Somehow Vivian managed to get me down and the both of us made a cradle for Abraham. When he hit the net we made with our arms we set him gently onto the ground. We follow Vivian quickly to the last plane in the giant room, the one closest to the runway. I notice that they're all turned on, possibly for the Chicago bombing. As we run, I heard the Black Hawks. They had found us. Running faster, Abraham and I reach the plane while Vivian holds them off with her gun. I get Abraham onto the plane and buckle him into a seat. Finding a gun, I got off and ran back towards Vivian.

She was climbing onto the plane and I helped dragged her on and slammed the door, locking it behind us. Vivian raced to the cockpit and began pushing button as flipping switches. I sat down beside her and buckled up. We are off down the runway in a matter of seconds. Vivian kept her focus in front of her. I notice that the Hawks aren't following us anymore. I ask Vivian.

"Aim to maim," is all she says.

We're up in the air moments later. Below us I can see Hawks running around like crazy trying to shoot us down, but Vivian pulls straight up into the air. Once high enough, she levels the plane again and turns left, following a little tracking device.

"Well that was fun," she smiles, holding tightly onto the council.

"Someone needs to reteach you the meaning of the word 'fun'." I tell her.

"Just relax will you?" she says, "I'm trying to focus on the air."

* * *

All was going well until we reached the border three hours later. All around us guns went off, trying to shoot us down. Vivian held the steering council tighter. She got onto the radio and began calling, "Don't shoot, I repeat, don't shoot. This is Ruby Williamson and I'm requesting permission to land."

A moment later the guns stopped and another voice came onto the radio. "What the hell were you thinking Vivian? We were worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry Dawson."

"Land safely, will you?" Dawson snapped.

Vivian smiled weakly and began landing the plane. Through the dark clouds of night I saw a long runway lit up by a million lights. Vivian gently brought the plane down onto the long road. Bouncing a little, we slowed down until we reached a complete stop. Smiling, Vivian unbuckled herself and that's when I noticed the blood pouring down her side.

"Vivian…" I say. I didn't notice how pale she was until now.

"Let's go," she says trying to sound strong.

When we climb out of the plane I notice a group of soldiers approaching us. We look to Vivian for confirmation and walk towards them when we get it. Vivian walks behind us slowly, holding her side. The boy in the front of the group walks a little faster than the others. "What were you thinking? You're supposed to confront me before you run off and do something like this that needs military approval." He scolds her. "I'm just glad that…" he trails of just as Vivian begins to collapse. The boy, Dawson my guess is, catches her just before she hits the ground.

Gathering her into his arms, he runs off telling the rest of the soldiers to take care of us. Abraham and I watch as Dawson and Vivian disappear into the night. The soldiers lead us to a truck where we're told to get in. As the vehicle moves along the road I look outside and watch this new world pass by. I watch as we get closer to a giant building, which stands out against the night.

"The Royal Palace," says one of the soldiers. "You'll be safe there."

Once the truck stops, we are escorted inside the palace. We follow a soldier named Ben into the Dining Hall where he tells us to wait until someone comes and takes care of us. He tells us to eat anything that is sitting on the table. Abraham sits down and idly plays with a fork. I stand behind him, to scared for Vivian to eat.

"Did she tell you she was shot?" Abraham asks me.

"No, she never said anything and I never noticed until after we landed." I reply. I comfortingly place my hand on his shoulder. "Vivian is strong. She'll be okay."

"I don't trust anyone other than myself to take care of her. And I don't even trust myself right now."

"Don't worry,"

"I'm going to worry, Beatrice. That's my job as a father. I worry about every little thing to happen for Vivian. It's a simple fact of life."

Ten minutes of silence have passed when someone walks into the room. I turn to face the door and am greeted by the sight of a boy. Or should I say man since he's grown so much in the past two and a half years since I had last seen him. His dark hair was cut neatly, making him look older than he really was. His green eyes were wild and bright as they searched my face, making sure that I was really here, standing before him. He touches my arm, as if to make sure I'm real.

Tears well up in his eyes and he pulls me into a tight embrace. I hold him tightly, stroking his hair. We cry in each other's arms, letting go of all the things that had ruined our relationship in the past.

"Beatrice, oh my God, it's really you," he said between sobs.

"Hello Caleb,"


	7. Chapter 7

**All I have to say is "SO CLOSE TO THE REUNION CHAPTER" that is all.**

Chapter Seven:

Tobias

"From here on out we have to actually listen to your sister when she says 'There has to be another way'." Dawson tells me as he pace the hallway outside of the hospital. I am standing still, unable to do anything until it is clear that Vivian is okay. All I know is that she was shot in the stomach; a wound that is not easy to survive from.

"Why didn't we think of that?" I ask. Dawson knows I'm referring to Vivian's plan.

"Because we're war thirsty savages who go looking for blood and a fight at any given moment; we don't always think before we act when people we love are on the line. Vivian on the other hand is gentler than most. She values life. Vivian knows how to think things through knowing that her decisions will risk the people she loves. So in other words: Vivian actually thinks." He runs his hands through his close cropped hair. He had gotten blood on his hands from Vivian's shirt and hadn't washed them since, so his hands were stained red from my sister's blood.

"Everyone in the city got out because of her. Only handfuls got out because of us." I point out.

"Yes, that is true."

We stand in silence for a long time before he brings up the other pressing question I've tried to avoid thinking about. "What are you going to say to your dad?"

During the clearing of the city they had found Marcus and, naturally, they had to bring him back. Now Marcus was talking to Sapphire and I was trying to avoid him for as long as possible. "I'm going to deal with it when I have Vivian with me to keep my shit together." I say to him. "I don't know what to say to that man. I have nothing to say to him."

"Fair enough," Dawson says, finally stopping his pacing. "What do you think Vivian will say to him?"

"She'll probably not say anything." I answer.

I hear footsteps down the hallway and Dawson and I both look over. Zeeke approaches us with a look of pure surprise on his face. "You were right man," he says breathlessly. "Tris really is alive."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

As if just putting a puzzle together Dawson says, "So that's who's with her. I figured the old man was Abraham but I didn't realize that she brought Tris with her as well."

I look at the two of them. "Vivian brought Tris here?"

"Yes," Zeeke says, "She's upstairs with everyone. It's one big happy reunion up there."

"You said she brought two people with her." I say to Dawson, "Why didn't she bring Larkin?"

I know Dawson hates talking about Larkin. He told me one night that he had feelings for my sister and I knew how much he hated talking about her boyfriend, but sometimes I had to.

Dawson looks bitter. "If I knew, I would've told you. Who knows what that girl is thinking half of the time?"

I watch as Dawson storms off down the hallway and sits down against a wall, holding his head in between his hands. He feels just as bad as I do right now, and that's saying something. The plan was mine, not his.

"Bro, come upstairs and see Tris. She's been asking about you." Zeeke says, touching my shoulder lightly.

The thought of seeing Tris again makes my heart soar. I've missed her so much and want to see her. I want to feel her embrace again. I want to feel her kiss again. I want to hear her voice again. But I can't. I can't bring myself into moving until I'm positive that Vivian is okay. It was my fault that Vivian was shot. If I had just listened to her when she said that my plan was selfish and idiotic, then I would've helped her with hers and she wouldn't have been shot.

"Tell her that I'll see her soon. I just have to stay with Vivian for now." I tell Zeeke.

Zeeke nods and walks away. I watch him pass Dawson, who doesn't even flinch. I walk over and sit beside him, not saying a word as the next few hours tick by slowly.

* * *

It is around dawn when the nurse finally walks over to us. When Dawson and I see her approaching us, we jump to our feet.

"How is she?" we ask.

"Ruby is going to be fine. She's very weak now, so be gentle with her as you see her. We decided to wait until she began waking up to allow visitors. You may see her now, though." The nurse leads us into the section of the underground palace with the hospital. The whole place is miles and miles long and wide, all hidden underground by the Royal Palace. You could get lost and never be found down here.

We're led into one of the bigger rooms, which is plain and dimly lit. Lying on the bed in the middle is a very ghostly pale Vivian. Her hair covers the pillow around her, making it look brown instead of white. She's awake, but just barely. Her dark blue eyes find mine when we enter the room. Dawson moves to sit on her left, taking her hand and holds it, but I stay standing on her right.

"What were you thinking?" I say my voice barely a whisper.

"I was thinking of everyone, not just a select few." Vivian replies weakly.

"I almost lost you…"

"I know how to save myself. I still would've been fine."

"Maybe, but you still went on a suicide mission alone." I tell her, sitting on the corner of her bed. "I should've just listened to you. You would've had an army behind you. You wouldn't have been shot."

"That shot wasn't even fatal. The worse thing about that was I didn't have time to stich myself up so I lost a lot of blood. I would've been fine."

"YOU WERE SHOT AND I WASN'T THERE TO PROTECT YOU!" I bellow furiously. I'm mad, not at her, but at myself. I don't realize it but I begin crying. I haven't cried in years, but I can't stop it. I'm angry. I'm scared. I feel like a little kid right now and there's nothing I can to do to make the feeling go away. I've felt like this from the day that I realized that this war is bigger than me. Calming down a little, I say, "I've lost so many people in my life that I can't bear to lose you too."

"I know; that's also why I made it a rescue mission."

"Yeah we heard you brought Tris with you," Dawson finally speaks up.

"And Abraham, but that was more for my benefit than yours." She smiles weakly.

"There's something you should know." I say to her. "Marcus and Evelyn are both here."

"Okay, thanks for the warning." Vivian nods.

"We'll let you get some sleep." Dawson says, squeezing her hand gently. He stands up and leaves the room. I don't follow.

"You should go see Tris." She tells me.

"I will in the morning." I say. I can't bring myself to leave. "I'm just going to stay here for the night." I say out loud. I didn't mean to, but I was thinking it.

"Okay," I can see her eyelids drooping and in seconds Vivian is taken into a deep sleep. I hold her hand for a while before I become tired too. I lay down next to my sister and fall asleep trying to protect her from whatever the night tries to bring her.


	8. Chapter 8

**And here it is folks. Here is the reunion chapter. I know you've been patiently waiting so I tried my best because of that. From here on out there will be many Fourtris moments. I promise. If there's anything else you'd like to see, let me know because I do take requests.**

Chapter Eight:

Tobias

By noon, when I awake, Vivian is still out like a light. Nothing had changed except Dawson had fallen asleep in a chair beside us. Figuring that she's in good hands, I kiss her cheek and exit the room. There is one thing that has been on my mind since last night, but I've been ignoring it. Until now.

I find her in the dining hall with everyone else. Charlotte is entertaining everyone with old war stories. She has everyone hanging on the edge of their seats as she explains in depth a great battle that she witnessed herself. I'm not listening though. I make my way towards the end of the table where I see her sitting. I blink a few times to make sure she's really there. But my sister has not failed me because she really is right there. Caleb protectively has his hand on her arm, as if to never let her go again. But when I ask if I could borrow her for a moment, he doesn't argue.

I take her hand and lead her out into the hallway for a private moment. The first thing I do when we're alone is kiss her. I kiss her with all the emotion that had built up inside me for the past two years. I feel her, so strong, so sure, so real. So alive. Even as I have to come up for air, it only lasts a moment before our lips collide into each other again. I wrap her tightly in my arms and lift her off her feet so we're the same height and hold her there. Her arms wrap around me tightly, as if to never let me go again. Good.

As I hold her in my arms, I truly see that the small Stiff who jumped first is still there, behind a layer of strength and bravery. I can only imagine what she went through, and that in itself is more amazing than I could've ever imagined.

"I take it you missed me," Tris laughs, her breath warm against my face.

"Are you kidding? I'm arranging the whole Royal Army to make sure you never leave my sight again."

"I don't plan on it." Tris tells me, kissing the corner of my smile.

"Good, because I'm not letting that happen. I love you Beatrice Prior. I love you more than anything in this world. I will love you until this world ends, and then I'll love you in the next life after that." I kiss her again. "The pain of losing you was the worst pain I had ever felt. I will die if I have to feel it again. I love you. God Tris, I love you so much. I never told you that as much as I should've when I had the chance. Now that you're here I will never let a moment go by where I don't take that chance."

"I love you too Tobias."

And she kisses me again.


	9. Chapter 9

**For some reason my writing page thingy on here is different and I don't like it. Anyways, I am so sorry that I haven't been on lately, I started Water Polo (probably drowned 100 times by now) last week and that is demanding all my spare time where school isn't taking up. I will do my very best to update whenever I can, but my brain is in ten places at once so my creativity isn't strong right now. Here's the next chapter and enjoy. If I'm not sleeping I'll try to add one more (no promises).**

* * *

Chapter Nine:

Vivian

The first thing I see when I wake up is the calm, concerned face of my father. He is looking down at the ground and doesn't even notice when I sit up. Over the past two years he has become nothing more than a hallow shell. His skin is leathery and yellow, no longer pale. His breaths came slow and raspy, and I could almost tell from here that his heartbeat was no longer strong and steady. He was dying, and if he couldn't save himself, then what chance did I have?

"Hi dad," I tell him weakly.

He looks up and stares at me with his lifeless eyes. "How are you feeling, Vivian?"

"Fine," I don't want to talk about me, not here, not now. I know in that moment that I don't have a lot of these moments left and I want to savor them. Every second of it. "I missed you."

"I was waiting for the day when you would come and save me. I believed that you would, and it proves that I was right. My daughter, my pride and joy, has finally become a woman. And not just any kind of woman, but one that I know will stand tall and hold her ground for everything life throws at her. You, my daughter, have become a woman that I can be proud of." I blush at his words. "I have been told of your marvelous achievements and cannot believe that you and she are one in the same."

"I'm so happy that you're proud of me," I say, letting a relaxed breath out. For the longest time I thought that he would be ashamed of the woman I have become. But he was proud. When my father is proud of me, I hold my head higher than I did before.

"I always am proud of you, Vivian."

After a long silence between us I finally speak up. "Did you know I wasn't your daughter?"

"Yes," my father says after a long moment. "My own father told me after doing a few tests on me that I was unable to reproduce. One day they walked in with a beautiful baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket and handed her to me, telling me to raise her like I was raised. But I fell in love with this little girl. She had me wrapped around my finger from the day she came to me. I never discriminated her against me; she wasn't my blood, but that didn't make it impossible to love her like I would my own daughter."

I look at him, tears welling in my eyes. "Thank you," my throat is swelling as I say, "It gave me my best chance."

He reaches out and takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. By now I'm crying. "There has to be something I can do to help you."

"Oh Vivian," he sighs, "There's nothing to do. The cancer I have is incurable. There is nothing that can be done."

"You were waiting to see me again," I whisper, "Is that the reason you're still holding on?"

"Yes, I didn't want to go without saying goodbye."

I try to stop crying, trying to be strong for him. He deserves to go in peace and with love, and I will give it to him. I will make the best of our numbered days. I will.

I will.

I promise.

Dawson pushes my wheelchair up to the dining hall. My father follows close behind. Even when I'm injured I'm still required to attend the family dinner. Dawson tells me that my real father, Marcus or Topaz, was found during the time that I gave them. I don't know how well that will go, but for my father's sake I hope it goes smoothly.

I was wrong.

The first thing I see when we enter the dining hall is the fight. Marcus has Tobias by his shirt and is yelling at him, trying to throw punches at him. Tobias is dodging, but is in a terrible position to fight back. Everyone is trying to calm him, but Marcus is acting like a lunatic. I look to Dawson, "Do something."

Dawson moves quickly over to the fight, detaching Marcus from Tobias so fast that I almost didn't notice it. Marcus roars and punches Dawson in the nose, breaking it. Dawson falls to the ground, unconscious, blood splattering his face. With that, Charlotte gets from her chair and runs to Dawson, cradling his head in her lap.

Marcus makes a grab for my brother again, but I shout, "ENOUGH!"

They both look at me. Marcus's mouth curves into a crooked smile. "So you're my other brat."

"He's drunk, Vi." Tobias mutters to me. Marcus punches him in the face.

"Not one more word from you, boy."

"And that is enough from you." I say to him. "Grow up a little and let my brother go."

Marcus punches Tobias again, letting him fall to the floor. He turns to me and says, "You will respect me, child. I am your father after all."

"I'm an adult." I say sternly. "I don't have to listen to you. And I have a father, and he's not you."

"YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

"You really are drunk." I conform. Marcus's words slur. I notice that besides Dawson, no one wants to get in a fight with him. If he is abusive in his own nature, I don't want to know how bad it is when he's drunk. "Just calm down, Marcus."

"NO!" he bellows. I see him turn to Tobias, who has just picked himself off the ground and is hugging the wall.

Frustrated, I take one of the knives off the table and stand from the wheelchair. I wait for a moment before I find a good shot. I throw and my knife hits its mark on Marcus's shirt, just at the sleeve. Everyone stares at me as I fold my arms over my chest.

"Let this be a fantastic way to get to know each other. You touch anyone I love, I'll aim father over and it will hurt you."

After that, everyone went back to their rooms and dinner was eaten alone.


	10. Chapter 10

**From here on out, I decided to make Spen a bigger character. He's gonna play a big role in the final parts of this story and the next one. Please tell me what you think of him. **

Chapter Ten: Spen

I arrive at the control room a little after four. The president and the prince sit across from each other, talking intensely over what our little rebel has been up to. I nod to both of them as I take the third seat in the middle of them. They nod in my direction and continue their discussion. I listen intently to what they're saying.

"She's stronger than I thought." The president, a man named Adam Everson says to us. "She was shot and managed to survive."

"It was a fatal shot too. I've seen the wound with my own eyes." The prince says to Adam. "Sapphire has full intention to crown her."

"We cannot have that," I speak up, "Vivian as queen would cause a whole uprising."

"But there is still a chance," the prince says with his sly smile. "Her father, Marcus, was found during the raid. He's a little bit of a tyrant, which means all I have to do is take my uncle under my wing and let him be the mouth piece. He's already on Vivian's bad side, which is excellent for us."

I sit there and think. "You're going to have to break her." I pipe up.

"What do you have in mind, Stephen?" Adam says to me.

I stoke the stubble on my chin, the way I do when I'm tired. "Hit her where it hurts most."

The prince smiles wickedly, on the same page as I am. "Larkin."

"I'll manage to get my brother to have a new girlfriend." I explain, "You, Indigo, have to get her to be in the right place at the right time."

"She'll be too heartbroken to function." Indigo smiles, "You have a brilliant mind, Spen."

"Thank you, you're majesty."

Indigo rises, "I must go. If I am gone any longer, they'll think that I am up to something." We all laugh. "We'll be in touch, gentlemen."

Once Indigo is gone, I rise. "I must go too sir,"

"Stephen," Adam says to me, "Good luck about your brother. He's a little..."

"Loyal? I'll make sure he knows where his loyalties lie." And I walk out into the hallway.

* * *

"Larkin?" I ask, rapping his door lightly.

"What do you want, Spen?" I hear him answer tiredly.

"I need to speak with you."

His door opens and my little brother slips his head out. "What?"

"They're getting suspicious about you, brother."

"Why? I haven't done anything wrong."

I sigh irritably. "They think that you're in love with Vivian. And if they keep thinking that, then you may never see her again from what they do to you."

"What do you expect me to do? Find someone else? No thank you, I'm going to remain loyal to her until this world stops spinning."

"How do you know she's still loyal to you?"

"I just know, Spen? How do you know your wife still loves you?"

"Just find someone new or else it's your head they'll present to her on a silver platter and I don't think you want that."

Larkin rolls is bright eyes. "Fine, whatever you say." And he slams the door in my face. I almost feel bad for what will happen, but it's for my brother's own good. He'll understand one day, I know it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry I haven't been available but I just came back from Disneyland. I'm so excited because I get to go see the Divergent movie tonight. Anyways, here's this next one!**

Chapter Eleven:

Tobias

I follow the trail of music that so sweetly flows through the halls. It's a piano, I think. The music grows louder, finally leading me to a door at the end of a hallway I had never been in before. I slowly open the door and immediately I am greeted by a grand piano the color of night. My sister sits on the bench, playing a beautiful melody with her eyes closed. I stand there and watch her for the longest time. Her nimble fingers dance around the key board and she sways to the music.

It takes a long time before she finally looks up at me. "I was allowed one hobby growing up. It could be anything I wanted to do to pass the time. I chose music. The piano is my favorite instrument, cello is my second. Playing calms me down and clears my mind sometimes. It's what I turn to when I over think."

"You're really good at that." I tell her.

"I have been playing since I could talk." She tells me.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask, sitting on the bench beside her.

"My dad," she answers sadly. "I only have so much time left with him before…"

I know what she wants to say. She is slowly losing her father and she can't help him. "It's going to be okay."

"It's going to hurt me more than him." She whispers. "It's always that way."

"Play me something," I tell her, changing the subject.

Vivian smiles replacing her fingers over the keyboard. She begins to play me something slow and sweet, captivating me with every note. When she finished, she let me try, teaching me a simple melody and laughing when I got the note wrong. Little moments like these are the kind of moments we live for; nothing special, but special enough to carry with us forever.

* * *

"This is a suicide mission." Vivian says once Dawson has finished explaining to us what our mission is.

"Only if you get caught." Indigo smirks.

"This is a suicide mission." Vivian repeats.

"What choice do we have?" Dawson asks her.

"We could put our army towards the GD's. That might actually do something for our benefit as well as theirs. Taking out everything that makes the Black Hawks the Black Hawks does not sound like the best idea. In fact, how much were you drinking when you made this plan?" Vivian says to Dawson.

"It was Indigo's plan." Dawson says.

"Which explains why it's a suicide mission." Vivian turns to me. "Tobias please tell him it's a suicide mission."

"It's a suicide mission." I say, agreeing with her. Vivian is right, our best option is to defend the GDs from the Black Hawks and not go into their territory to take them out.

"I'm the one who makes all the military decisions and what I say is final. We leave tonight so be ready." Dawson commands. He leaves the room and Indigo follows.

"Better go tell my father that I won't be coming home." Vivian mutters.

"I'll join you. Might as well tell all my friends and my mom too."

"Indigo is up to something." Vivian tells me, "We just have to be prepared for whatever it is.

* * *

Tris holds my hand tightly as we are flown towards our death. She wanted to come, and if we were to die, I would want it to be together. Vivian sits across from me, bouncing her leg up and down nervously. I don't blame her. She's about to go into battle against Larkin and was given specific orders to hurt him if she comes across him. I know her well enough not to do it, but the thought would be enough to set anyone into an uneasy state.

"Tobias, tell me a lie." She finally says to me.

"Everything is going to be okay."

"Tell me a better lie."

"We're going to live to see tomorrow."

"If only that lie were true."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

Larkin

I hate this. I hate the feeling of someone else's hand in mine. I hate the brush of someone else's lips. I hate the whisper of someone else's voice in my ear. I hate her laugh, and I hate her smile. I hate the way that all she does is talk about her. I hate the way she can't go ten seconds without looking at herself in a mirror. I hate how I have to force myself to smile and laugh. I hate that I can't be myself. I hate the feeling in my chest of betrayal and pain. I hate myself. I hate Spen. I hate life. I hate Kaili. Most of all, I hate that she's not Vivian.

I hold her hand as she skips giddily through the hallway. She keeps yapping about some life changing event that happened to her today and she also fishes for a complement every once in a while. Spen told me to take her out tonight and that some official would be watching me extremely closely. She talks my ear off. I learned in the past few weeks that all I have to do is nod and say something every now and then so she thinks I'm listening though I let my mind wonder.

An hour or so into our little date I know that I have to make a move or else they'll think I'm pretending. I push her up against the wall and begin to kiss her, the way I always imagined doing to Vivian. I get the sense that someone is watching us so I look up and look over. My heart stops.

Even from where I'm standing I can see something behind her eyes shatter. Seconds later, however, Vivian's face is formed into an expressionless mask. Conceal, don't feel, I remember her telling me years ago. That's what she's doing now. I watch her take off down the hall and I don't hesitate to follow her. I scream her name, hoping to get her to just look at me, but she doesn't stop running.

"VIVIAN!" I call, picking up my pace so I can catch her. Down the hall I see a bunch of soldiers in red fighting the Hawks. Vivian runs right into the line of fire, dodging bullets. I push my way through, standing behind the Hawks so I can make it through alive. I see her brown hair as she pushes her way towards the back. I see her reach the boy who's been haunting me for weeks now, the one I thought Vivian might've loved. He protectively stands in front of her, trying to get her out.

The boy, Dawson, pushes her towards the hallway, yelling orders to his troops. I watch them take off and follow in hot pursuit. A group of Hawks follow me and I can't stop them. One of the men pulls out his gun and shoots. I watch as Vivian falls to the ground, but Dawson was faster than any of us and had her up and running before we could even aim again. Blood pours from the bullet hole in the back of Vivian's leg. She's struggling to move and Dawson notices it. He sits her down and pulls out his gun, shooting and killing every one of them but me. He hesitates for a moment, but pulls the trigger, hitting me in the shoulder. I get up and chase after them, but the chase is harder now that I'm losing a lot of blood.

I follow them to the roof and corner them. "Vivian, I want to talk."

She doesn't look at me; she just stares at the fall that's waiting below them. Dawson speaks up, though, "If you take one more step near her, I will have to kill you, and I have no problem doing that. Hell, I will do it without regret. Get away from Vivian."

I back up, raising my arms in surrender. Vivian glances at me, tears streaking her face. She takes Dawson's hand, but he removes it, protectively wrapping his arm around her shoulders, keeping her aloft. He whispers something in her ear and Vivian nods. In the spur of the moment, Vivian and Dawson turn and run, leaping off the side of the roof before I can even react.

When she vanishes into the night, I fall to my knees, crying uncontrollably. I don't even notice the wound in my shoulder anymore. I realize that through all my doubts, Abraham was right; Vivian was loyal and faithful. It takes a matter of seconds to realize that Spen planned this whole thing out. This was meant to happen.

I lost Vivian because of my brother.

* * *

It takes three minutes to find my brother. I shove him to the floor with my good shoulder and punch him square in the face. I take him by his shirt and pull him to his feet, thrusting him against the wall. I warp my hand against his throat and begin squeezing. "You little shit." I tell him just as I'm pulled off of him. "You son of a bitch. You son of a bitch! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I hope you burn in hell, Spen!" I shout as I am dragged through the halls.

"Calm down Larkin." I am told many times, but I can't calm down. I cry as they take me to the infirmary.

"I'm going to kill him," is the last thing I say before I am pulled under from the drugs they gave me.

* * *

When I wake up, Spen is hovering over me. I try to kill him, but I can't move. I realize that I'm tied to my bed, unable to move.

"Why did you do that to me? You're my brother."

"What I did, I did your own good. You'll see in time."

"You're evil, you know that? I'm ashamed to be related to you." I snap at him.

"You'll understand Larkin."

"No, I won't. I will never understand why you hate me so much that you made me lose the only thing in this world I actually love. I will never understand how you managed not to have a heart where the rest of us are made of nothing but love. I will never understand you, Spen."

"Larkin,"

"Do me a favor, and never speak to me again. Just walk out the same door Vivian did."

Spen leaves me and I begin to cry again. I've never felt more alone in my life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Howdy there everybody. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update but life just went from "chill" to "let's just give Grace endless amounts of stuff to deal with and no break in between". So I've been having to do about a weeks worth of make-up homework whilst figuring out how to function on a concussion. Needless to say, my head hurts and life is really busy. Without further adue, here's the next chapter. **

Chapter Thirteen:

Dawson

Three full weeks have passed, each day getting duller and duller by the minute. I do my military duties and check in on the royal family. I listen to Charlotte as she drags on about some miniscule problem she has. I train with Tobias and Zeeke, who enjoy having an opponent who is slightly more on the Dauntless side. I try to keep Violet and Amarillo from fighting. I help Scarlett's painting obsession by being her model. I pretend to take notes of Indigo's next suicidal plan. I get to know Topaz and Amber, realizing almost instantly that they would like nothing more than to kill each other. I report to the Queen, giving her all the latest updates. And when my long list of chores is done, I go and take care of Vivian's garden, which she now has no interest in taking care of.

Vivian has refused to leave her room since they discharged her from the hospital. The only person she lets through those doors is her father, and on a rare occasion, me. I don't know what to do about her and I want nothing more to mend her broken heart. I'll look through the doors into her room sometimes and I'll see her sitting on the windowsill or she'll be training in the comfort of her own room. But the thing she does most, I notice, is she will just lay in the center of the room, motionless and calm.

Today, as I take care of her plants, I hear a door open and look up. Vivian stands on the balcony twisting a leaf through her fingers. She doesn't say anything to me and I don't press her, not wanting her to retreat into her room again. After a long minute she says softly, "Dawson, come here for a moment."

I set down the hose I was using to water the plants and ascend the spiral stair case until I'm standing next to her. She cups a strange looking heart in her hand. The longer I look at it, the longer I get confused. "A bleeding heart." Vivian says to me. "It's one of my favorite flowers."

"That's a flower?" I ask.

Vivian smiles for the first time in what feels like forever. "Strange looking, isn't it? I love the way it looks like the bottom of a heart has opened up, letting a drop of blood drip through." She says, putting the pink flower in my hand.

"A bleeding heart." I mutter, cupping it gently.

Vivian kisses my cheek softly, surprising me, and then retreats back into her room. I stand there for a long moment before I follow her. It's against the rules to go into a royal's room without permission, but I can't just let her shut the world out. "Vivian,"

She turns to me. I notice that she wears all black, the way her brother does. She doesn't even make an attempt to cover her tattoos anymore. Her dark blue eyes look almost black and empty. She has become muscular in the past few weeks, making me nervous that if she might decide to fight me, I might actually get hurt. But she doesn't hurt me; she just looks at me through her tired, lifeless eyes.

"Please don't shut the world out. We all want to help you be okay, but we can't do anything if you keep shutting us out. You can't expect to live your life shut up in your room forever. We're not going to hurt you. Tobias is out of his mind worried about you. Your father needs to know that you're going to be okay. I've been losing sleep just trying to make sure that you're not going to do something drastic like take your life or something. Please, just let us in." I plead, and then I whisper, "Just let me in."

Vivian stares at me for a long time, as if she didn't comprehend a word I had just said. But eventually she walks towards me, letting herself fall apart and allowing herself to be held by someone she knew loved her. I hold her as she cries and I continue to hold her long after I know that she's okay.

I felt her head move beneath my chin and I look down just as she looks up. We stare at each other for a long time and before I can stop myself, I close the distance between us, pressing my lips to hers. She tastes like salt, from the tears she as cried. I feel her press into me, returning my kiss. Her arms twist and move up from around my waist to around my neck, pressing herself closer to me. I feel her fingers getting tangled in my hair and I smile against her lips, wrapping my arms strongly around her.

Everything about this moment feels right. I wish this moment will last forever. I just want to stay wrapped up in Vivian's arms, holding her. I want to be able to kiss her over and over. I want to-

"I can't do this," Vivian says, pulling away suddenly. "I can't do this to you, Dawson."

I'm confused. "Do what?"

"I'm heartbroken and angry and hurt and all of these other emotions that are clouding my judgments. I can't do this to you because though it might actually be genuine, I'm not sure of my feelings and if I break you because I led you on, it will break me as well. I can't do this, at least until I'm sure of what I'm feeling." Vivian says almost angrily. I know her anger is not directed at me, but to Larkin.

I take Vivian's hand, trying to calm her down. "How about when you know how you feel, whether it is in my favor or not, you tell me. I promise that I will not be angry with you and I will not hate you. I admire you and respect you for your decision to not lead me on and if you do decide that your feelings for me are genuine, I will be here, waiting for you." I kiss her cheek softly and leave her alone. I walk out down the halls to the security sector, the bleeding heart still in the palm of my hand.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

Spen

It's about four in the morning when we hear the shot. I get up to investigate and immediately hear my mother begin to scream. My wife, Caroline, is faster than I and races into the next room faster than I can. She begins screaming shortly after. I'm running now and notice that they're both in Larkin's room.

_Larkin._

I see my brother lying in a pool of his own blood, pale and lifeless. Larkin carries a gun in his left hand and a note in his right. I can just barely see the wound in his head through the mane of black hair. I touch his arm, which is still warm. I sob, pulling my brother into my arms and holding him like I did when he was a kid.

Then I feel it. It's faint, but there. A heartbeat. _A heartbeat. _

"He's still alive." I shout and without wasting another second, I carry him out of his room, racing against the little time I have to get him to the infirmary. I barge through the doors and immediately start yelling for a doctor. A few nurses bring over a gurney and I lay him down, following them as they bring him to a room, hooking him up to a machine. They close the wound in his head, but don't do much else. "What are you doing to him? Why aren't you actually trying?"

"There's not much we can do."

"What do you mean that 'there's not much you can do'? YOU'RE MEDICS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" I bellow, and then it hits me. Vivian. Vivian was trained for this kind of stuff, not these so-called nurses. "Keep him alive, I'll do the rest." And I storm out of the infirmary as fast as I can.

It takes me minutes before I get to the security sector and minutes more to send the message. I pace the halls, waiting for a reply. But it's when I get outside to get to her myself do I find him. Indigo is dressed as a pilot and sits on the wing of a plane. He smiles cruelly as I approach him.

"I was wondering when you would show up; I knew it was only a matter of time."

"Why are you here?" I ask him.

"Mourning the loss of your brother. He is dead, isn't he?"

It takes me two seconds to realize that Larkin didn't commit suicide. "Why did you try to kill my brother?"

"Because it wouldn't be genuine for when Vivian learns that her dear, true love has claimed his life because she wouldn't give him a moment to explain how this was your fault. It will shatter her. Did you even read his suicide note?"

I take the note from my pocket and read the handwriting that belongs to Larkin. _I'll love her until the day I die. _"You can bring down your family all you want to take the throne, but you stay away from mine or I will personally cut off all your resources and make sure _you're _the one that's dead."

I leave him and race back to the security sector where the reply is waiting. _Meet me at Dead Man's Pier. _

* * *

It takes me three hours to fly there. By then the sun is low in the sky, having just risen. I stand there, anxiously waiting. The pier is a beautiful place, despite the name and I would've taken an extra moment to take it all in, but I was on the verge of a panic attack. Dead Man's Pier was sacred ground between us and the Royal Army. Fifty or so years ago a battle was fought here between us. Everyone on both sides died. The president and the new queen agreed that no more battles would happen here and it would be a meeting place for peace.

"Strange to think that the men with our titles were once fighting to the death here." Says a voice in the shadows. I turn and see the Captain of the Royal Guard standing twenty feet away, dressed in his red uniform.

"But unlike them I'm not here to fight you."

"You can't, not on hallowed ground at least." He stretches out his hand. "Dawson."

"Stephen" I shake his gloved hand.

"What is it you wished to speak about?"

"Vi-Ruby, I need her help."

"Why do you need Ruby's help?"

"My brother Larkin was shot in the head. None of our medics are qualified enough to save him, only she is."

"Larkin and Ruby aren't on the best of terms. What makes you think that she will help him?"

"I have to believe that somewhere she still loves him." I explain.

Dawson looks out at the glistening sea. Finally he looks at me. "I'll talk to her, but her answer is hers and hers alone. Abraham is too weak to move so it's all or nothing. I stand by her choice, and you must do the same."

Dawson nods, and then leaves. I look out at the sea once he's gone, praying that Vivian, somewhere, has the heart to save him. I blame myself, but it's too late to change my choices, so I can only pray that she makes the one that will save my baby brother.

* * *

My father died when I was ten. Larkin was only three. My mother worked day and night to support us, but at the end of the day I was the one raising him. We were close. I taught him how to shave and how to point a gun. I taught him how to tie his shoes and I taught him how to fight. At the end of the day we had each other.

But I pushed him away. I turned him against me. It's my fault that he hates me.

It's my fault that he was shot.

I practically killed my baby brother.

I sit with him now in the infirmary, my walls falling down. I cry, not caring that I myself was trained to show no emotion. I hold Larkin's hand, praying to God that he will stay. I want to make everything right between us, but I have to keep protecting him. I can't lose him. I just can't.

I let the doctor's words sink in and I pray for a miracle.

"Larkin might not make it through the night."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

Dawson

Vivian stares down at the ground. I can see how torn she is about this. She wants Larkin to suffer for hurting her, but she always has the urge to save people. And I know her well enough to know that she won't let him die, no matter what he did to her. Vivian won't be the first to say it though, and she'll deny it if I point it out to her.

"How did he get shot in the head?" Vivian asks again.

"Spen didn't tell me."

"Idiot." She mutters. She stands up and begins pacing the room, tugging on her hair like she always does when she's really thinking. She stops suddenly. "What do you think I should do?"

"You want my honest opinion?" I ask.

"Yes." Vivian says, as if it was the simplest question in the world.

"I think you don't have the heart to let him die, no matter how badly he hurt you. I think you should save him, so he can deal with the consequences of his actions. I think you love him, deep down. And I think that no matter how much stronger you've become from this, that you will go back and save him. And I see it as an act of bravery, because you're doing something that scares you the most. Fear doesn't shut you down Vivian, it wakes you up." I say.

"Tobias always tells me that." Vivian says softly. I see her really thinking about it. "Get a brilliant excuse ready," she says tiredly, "we're gonna need one."


End file.
